GlasClay

[Julesie]

Hello,

Just been told by Sooz of the Buddies fame that a new product has come into town. It's called GlasClay. Has anyone used it at all?

[Billie]

It's on a Cherry Heaven sub site... Petra would know about it, wouldn't she?

[Julesie]

Bill, it wasn't a how do I use it question, more of a chatty sort of thing really  Just wondered if any one has used it and what they thought of it 

[Fired Silver]

Might have a go at making my own!!  Anyone fancy having a go 

Becci
xx

[Billie]

Bill, it wasn't a how do I use it question, more of a chatty sort of thing really  Just wondered if any one has used it and what they thought of it 

I thought Petra may have been having a play as I think it's the first most of us have heard of it 

[Jolene]

I have only heard of it for the first time today, it looks intriguing. There is a thread here about it http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19416.0;topicseen

Jo x

[Flyingcheesetoastie]

I've made my own before, but went back to more traditional methods of shaping!

[Fired Silver]

I've made my own before, but went back to more traditional methods of shaping!

I'm a bit sceptical, do you think its a waste of time??

[Pat from Canvey]

The latest edition of Glass Patterns Quarterly, Spring 2010 has an article on Glass Clay- Adding Dimension to Fused Art with instructions for making your own and uses. there's also an article on a Leaf Plate using a Sand Mold with Recycled Window Glass and Enamels. I could bring this copy to Flame Off if anyone is interested plus some of the older volumes to have a look see.

[Soozintheshed]

The latest edition of Glass Patterns Quarterly, Spring 2010 has an article on Glass Clay- Adding Dimension to Fused Art with instructions for making your own and uses. there's also an article on a Leaf Plate using a Sand Mold with Recycled Window Glass and Enamels. I could bring this copy to FH if anyone is interested plus some of the older volumes to have a look see.

Oooo I would love to have a flick through it 

[Flyingcheesetoastie]

I'm a bit sceptical, do you think its a waste of time??

Thing is I do all manner of techniques to create detailed pieces, which could then be incorporated (fused, glued etc.) into larger pieces, which I presume is the point of this technique.  The fact it's a clay , automatically means it can only be as good as your sculpting/carving/shaping abilities.  It is made of glass powder and a binder to create the 'clay' thickness, which presents a number of problems/variables to a successful piece.  The binder has to burn off, this has to be without residue or contaminating the glass or it will leave marking in or on the finished piece.  This reduction in volume also introduces shrinkage in your piece, which may or may not be even all over, which in turn could introduce stress into the piece during the annealing process.  Not to mention what the burning off or this binder is doing to the inside of your kiln, it's furniture, elements and also the fumes once they leave the kiln in your working space and into the atmosphere.  Also before being fired, does this binder present and kind of risk to the user in terms of fumes or skin iritation?

Next, glass powder.  On it's own, it will only fuse to itself at the temperature that particular glass type starts to melt on the surface at.  What I mean is that if it it a relatively hard glass, like Bullseye or float you will have to go to quite a high temperature to actually achieve a solid piece, which could cause some of your detail to be lost in the process.  Due to the amount of air that is trapped between the powder particles you will never achieve a transparent piece, even if you use transparent glass powder to begin with.  This trapped air means you also have to be careful with your firing scheduale to remove any stress in the piece and avoid cracks forming on the way up and during annealing too.  It also means that you have to be very careful to ensure there is no trapped air pockets in the clay, which could cause a blow out in the piece.  powder as a glass format is quite an expensive way to buy glass and by mixing it with a binder you have to use quite a large amount to achieve any kind of volume.

I hope some of the above is of use, I'm not trying to curtail people's excitment at a NEW technique but I personally found it had more limitations and unknown variables, requiring loads of testing to actually get a handle on it's use, that I found methods like Freeze and Fuze, Lost Wax Casting and Open Face casting, much more user friendly and economically viable.  Remember Buff Clay costs next to nothing and if you can make it in that, it can be made in glass, it just might take a little longer...

[Robin]

Hi

It's on www.glassclay.co.uk. It's new, and neither I nor Petra has had time to make anything with it. It works in a similar way to metal clays.

Most binders only release carbon dioxide and water vapour - nothing harmful. Glass powder, like all particulates, ideally needs a mask.

Rob